She’s In Parties – ‘Are You Dreaming?’ EP review: Ambitious ideas in need of slight refinement
When She’s In Parties’ single, ‘Fallen’ slid onto our desk earlier this summer, we felt as though we were given an anthem of hope, something to help push back the shoulders of its listener and drive them through whatever darkness lay ahead.
Now, the full EP Are You Dreaming has arrived, and it’s clear that the track was a defiant opening and the rest serves as its quieter companions.
The Skinny: The quiet sense of optimism remains on this EP, but rather thankfully, it’s been toned down and repackaged into something with a little more nuance. The second track, ‘Are You Dreaming?’ continues on in a similar vein, drenching the melody in anthemic synth stabs that perfectly fit a song lamenting about a dream scape.
But then the third ‘Runaway’ starts, and opens up a more complex vortex for the EP to head through. Subtle guitar lines bleed behind the vocals with great delicacy to make the overall palette angular, and while the synthesised stabs remain, they instead punctuate a melody that feels a little bit more thought out and, if anything, foregrounds the vocals of Katie Dillon even better.
All of this makes the crunchy opening of ‘Same Old Story’ feel inherently exciting, yet immediately disappointing when it cascades into what is quite a lofty track. The textures that are clearly designed to evoke that sense of dream-pop feel somewhat overwhelming, and it’s hard to discern any real melodic profile on the track.
‘REM’ reinvigorates a sense of hope for the listener as it finds Dillon reacquainting herself with a more considered arrangement. Along with ‘Runaway’, it’s probably the standout track on the EP and goes to prove that dream-pop ambition doesn’t necessarily manifest itself in sonic drowning, but more of a melodic consideration. The electronic flutters and spiralling guitar lines are supporting players, but feel more poignant than the intense chord washes of other tracks.
There is, however, a very distinct identity to all of the songs on this EP that goes to serve as a compelling foundation for what is to come for She’s In Parties. The London outfit is well capable of provoking specific feelings through tracks, and this EP shows glimpses of their ability to refine that.
The Verdict: She’s In Parties are rightly following the ambitious ideas that inspire them as a band, and while dream-pop soundscapes are established through a myriad of textures and arrangements, not all of them need to make the cut. Yet, at the heart of these ideas is a band who have something exciting to say and holds a lot of promise.
Defining Song: ‘Runaway’
Release date: November 7th, 2025 | Producer: Macks Faulkron | Label: Submarine Cat
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